We’re always completely inspired by any designers who can create something unique and special for couples for their wedding day, and these are often very sentimental to the individual couple. Designs or styling that really speak to a couple can make their wedding so memorable. For illustrator and designer Andrea from Deciduous Press, “venue illustrations are a beautiful way to personalise your wedding invitations with a custom element that is special and unique!” And she’s sharing with us how the process works and why she loves creating specific wedding venue illustrations for her couples.

I began offering the illustrations as I’d had a few requests over the years and really wanted to create a design collection that would make it easy for couples to select this option for their suite. I now have a catalogue of existing venues available for clients to choose from, as well as still offering custom drawings of new venues.

Couples are choosing this option for their suites because it is personal and adds a special glimpse of their wedding day to their design. There are so many beautiful venues in Australia. Sometimes the venue setting can be a really important part of the wedding day, and it can be worth bringing this into the stationery to tie everything together.

Creating the Drawing

To begin, I usually ask couples to send through any images they love of their venue. Illustrations can be of the ceremony or reception venue, the view or surrounding landscape, a significant landmark, or perhaps even a place of meaning to them as a couple. Anything goes really! I’ve created drawings of churches, estates, hillsides, islands, boats, bridges, and church interiors, and all work equally well.

I also ask for particular elements they’d like to include as part of the illustration – for example, they might have a particular angle of view of the building they want to be incorporated, or they might want the garden foliage to represent Summer or Winter. Usually, the final drawing will be taken from a mix of photographs and perspectives so that I can get the most detail.

My drawing style is detailed, with tones to create form in the building or depth in the scene. I love incorporating greenery or surroundings into illustrations when I can as this gives the image depth and context. I create each venue illustration working by hand in pen and ink on paper, and the final drawing is scanned and converted to be suitable to use in the design. The detail that can be captured by pen translates beautifully into letterpress, so it is a perfect pairing of the two mediums.

Once I’ve created the illustration I also give my clients an opportunity to request changes, alterations etc. before we begin printing. It is so important to me that it is perfect for them, so this is an essential part of the process.

Images and video via Deciduous Press

About Deciduous Press: Set the scene for your wedding with beautiful, tactile letterpress printed wedding stationery. From our letterpress studio in Tasmania we work with clients all over Australia via our website. Our Collection of customisable designs are all about showcasing the letterpress effect and the quality of our materials. Our aesthetic is elegant, classic and romantic – full of hand-drawn illustrations, refined typography and thoughtful details. We offer a wide range of design changes and love exploring new combinations with clients. Visit our website to view our Collection, online pricing and order Free Samples to feel our letterpress printing first hand!